


Some people move on (but not me, not without you)

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fix-It, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 20:37:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18630829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There are numerous thoughts that went through his head but it all boiled down to one, Tony.'Not the time for your feelings to appear, Steve. Not the time.'He smiled and let Tony's voice surround him as they walked back to the compound, side by side, together.





	Some people move on (but not me, not without you)

**Author's Note:**

> No beta, I did this in a rush because it won't stop being in my head, thanks to @lokisbitch on twitter for this prompt!

Five years.

It has been five years since they killed Thanos, found out that his last act of using the gauntlet was to destroy the stones, destroy their chances of getting everyone back. It has been five years since their hope died along with him in that planet. It has been five years since they all went on their separate ways, trying their best to help, doing all that they possibly can while still grieving to those they have lost.

Decimation. That's what they called it. Thanos' act of snapping his fingers that caused every creature and every specie in the entire universe to be reduced in half of their original number, which was not entirely true, considering that more than half was killed with how some of those that turned into ashes were pilots, drivers, and the likes; their disappearances had caused whatever vehicle they were maneuvering to crash among buildings, killing dozens and injuring the rest in the process.

The world felt like it stopped spinning for a year, but for Steve it felt as if it stopped spinning the moment Tony ripped out the arc reactor from his chest only to slam it in Steve's palm, a metaphorical way of saying that Steve ripped and broke his heart out during their Civil War fiasco and what better way to show it other than to rip out his figurative heart while choking out where was he when Tony needed him the most? He deserved it, he deserved to be at the receiving end of Tony's fury because he blames himself. In his mind, he is the reason as to why the team was divided when Thanos came to Earth, he is the reason as to why they lost.

So much for being together.

_

Five minutes.

It took Scott Lang five minutes to give out his explanation as to where he was for the past five years. It took him five minutes to explain the possibility of traveling through time with the use of the quantum realm. It took five minutes for hope to surge through them for the first time in five years. All it took was five minutes until Steve, Natasha, and Scott with a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich in hand, rushed to the nearest available car to go and see Tony, to bring up the idea that with the use of time travel they can get the stones from specific points of time and use it to bring everyone back.

But Tony refused. He's done with the superhero business. He calls bullshit on the prospect of time travel and asked them to leave but not before crushing their hope once more by saying that whatever hope they're holding on right now will be false and that it will eventually blow on their faces.

( Which is a concern of Steve's as well, hope in this time is a double-edged sword, but he keeps it to himself. )

In a way, he can understand where Tony is coming from. When he arrived, Pepper was there but only to nurse him back to health and once he was completely healed, Pepper left, she said that she can't handle all this superhero surprises of Tony anymore, the constant worrying over whether he is still alive or where he is whenever he wears the suit is draining her and she knows she is not what Tony needs because she can't give him the support that he deserves. Tony Stark is Iron Man and no one can take it away from him, not even one Pepper Potts. It was a mutual agreement of theirs to go on their separate ways and call off the engagement and to just remain as friends.

Steve is known for many things and being stubborn was one of them, if they can't get Tony then they'll go to Bruce instead.

_

Their trial run went to shit.

Scott turned from being, well Scott, into a kid version of him. Then into an old man. Then into a literal baby. It was only when Bruce and Natasha worked together by shutting off the power signal at Banner's signal did Scott turn back to his adult self.

This is a bad idea and it is giving Steve a dull ache to throb on his temples, hence why he decided to get out of the compound, away from where they were discussing what else they can do to improve when a car skid to a halt just a few feet to his left.

Tony is here.

Tony is going to help.

Tony will help them fix this.

There are numerous thoughts that went through his head but it all boiled down to one, Tony.

'Not the time for your feelings to appear, Steve. Not the time.'

He smiled and let Tony's voice surround him as they walked back to the compound, side by side, together.

_

It took them a few days to build the "Time Heist" machine, for it to reach Tony, Bruce, and FRIDAY's standards, for it to pass the test runs they ran it through, for their "quantum suits" to be fitted accordingly to each and every single one of the team. 

Tomorrow, they'll go to specific points of time to retrieve the Infinity Stones. Tomorrow, they'll have the chance to bring everyone back. Tomorrow, everything will be okay again.

( Or as Steve hopes it to be. )

A knock on his door had his head snapping out of his thoughts, the door opened slightly and a mop of brown hair was all he can see but it was enough for him to know who it was.

"You can come in, you know. Instead of letting your hair peek in."

With that, the door opened fully and Tony in a crumpled sweatshirt and pants stumbled in with a hesitant smile playing on his lips, as if he was unsure if his presence would be accepted, that hesitation had Steve's chest tightening with a pain that became so familiar to him to the point that it felt as if it is now a part of him, a constant reminder of his mistake.

"Just wanted to check up on you, since the possibility of us not returning tomorrow is high as hell. Wanted to make sure that you're not having any second thoughts on going through a time machine I made." Tony muttered as he draped himself on the couch opposite of Steve.

"I trust you, Tony." That slipped out automatically, with no hesitation, because he does, he trusts Tony more than he ever trusted anybody else, more than he trusts himself.

The only response he got was a snort, as if Tony doesn't believe him. Steve couldn't even blame him for that, he did a lot of shit over the years that doesn't make his words that trustworthy but he's done, he's done trying to cling on to the past, he's done letting his present go past him because he can't face it, he's done letting chances and opportunities go wasted. It took him three strides to get to where Tony is, dropping to his knees with his palm immediately reaching out to caress the expanse of his cheek but Tony didn't even flinch but instead leaned into his touch, his throat felt like it was clogging, he was getting choked up with how much Tony still trusts him enough to let him do this, despite everything.

It took him seven years to understand just how much Tony means to him. Seven years is more than enough.

"Natasha told me to move on, but I can't. I never told you this but I love you, I trust you, it took me losing you twice to realize that I can't go through that again. If you- If you will still have me, I promise you that I'll do better, I won't repeat the same mistakes that I did before, that includes no more hiding things from you, no more going behind your back, no more apologies written in shitty words alongside a flip phone, no more leaving you behind, no more of those. If you will have me, I- I will choose you again and again, for the rest of our lives, with no hesitation, without a doubt."

Steve Rogers never begged in his life, not even when he was shivering as snow fell upon Brooklyn in the 1940s, not even when he had nothing to eat for an entire day, but for Tony Stark? He begged.

"Please, Tony. Please take me back."

Silence stretched between the two of them, it felt like time stood still as he kept whispering his pleas under his breath.

"Well, Captain America doesn't break his promises."

That was all he heard from Tony because the very next second their lips met.

It tasted like a mixture of coffee and mint, it felt like a new beginning for them, not just for Captain America and Iron Man, but also for Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.

They will do this, they will bring back those who were taken away from them, they will do it together.

"I also fixed Nebula's systems so it won't sync with her past self, better to be safe than sorry."


End file.
